My Little Pony comic creators talk bronies, boundaries and Batman

From Left to Right: Tony Fleecs, a moderator dressed as Applejack, Thom Zahler and Jeremy Whitley (Photo By Hugh Johnson/The Denver Post)

Whether you’re two or 20 Denver Comic Con has something for everyone. The same can be said of Hasbro’s “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” which has gathered a diverse base of fans old and young.

The writers and artists of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic book[1] were at the convention to give fans some insight into bronies, how they manage to please their variety of fans and the importance of these comics as a gateway to the comic book world for new, young readers. The panel included Katie Cook, Andy Price, Tony Fleecs, Thom Zahler and Jeremy Whitley.

Much like an animated series to a popular Disney movie, these comics expand on the adventures of the six ponies featured in the show and give a little more spotlight to minor characters in the television series. Also, the comics have a micro-series that focuses on individual characters.

Set in the colorful, vibrant world of Equestria, My Little Pony focuses on the adventures of six ponies who embody the heart-warming traits of magic, loyalty, kindness, generosity, honesty and laughter. Surprisingly, or better yet unexpectedly,[2] 20-something males have grown fond of the series, spawning a sect of MLP fans known as bronies.

When asked about this unforeseen fanbase, the creators of the comic shared their stories on how the MLP television show captured their hearts and how they’ve interacted with bronies since then. For instance, artist and writer Katie Cook said her brother was the person who introduced her to the show. Now, she bounces ideas of his head as a gauge for how fans might react to their beloved characters facing certain situations.

Artist and writer Tony Fleecs admitted that he had to overcome his own reservations.

“I was totally ready to pick on them [bronies],” Fleecs said. “I am a bit of a bully. I don’t like things that are strange or different. So I heard about this and I’m like ‘that’s strange and different’ and I started thinking about ways to make fun of it. But then with respect to it, I remembered, ‘Oh right, I read comic books, I paid like $300 for a “Star Wars” laserdisc.’”

Illustrator Andy Price isn’t worried about the negative attention the fandom has received as it only continues to grow. After rattling off a list of MLP fans around the world, including Japan, Singapore and Australia, he said bronies will eventually get to a point where they’ll be mainstream.

“Unfortunately a lot of people focus on the negative aspect of the fandom which I’m going state right here, every fandom has that, it’s just that bronies is the new thing so they’re the ones getting picked on. Like Thom, I’m a big Trek fan and I’m sure Thom can remember when Trekkie was a dirty word and now it’s not. Now Trek is so mainstream and everybody knows it. Bronies will get there too.”

One of the questions on tap was why the MLP fanbase continues to grow. How do the creators continually satisfy the hopes of their fans, young and old?

For many of the crew, the reason the comic appeals to such a wide audience is because they write it as a comic for all ages. While the overarching setting is very family and kid-friendly, the creators push fans to a greater understanding of more complex issues through dynamic, three-dimensional character development and stories that don’t talk down to children.

When writer and artist, Thom Zahler, began writing for the comic he realized the show was already running under the premise that children are much smarter than they’re given credit for.

“When I started watching “My Little Pony” I was really surprised with the nuanced messages it had,” he said. “It wasn’t just like be kind to your friends it was like sometimes you have to push your friends to be better.”

For the creators, MLP is is family-friendly entertainment that goes beyond the rudimentary and doesn’t bore parents to tears.

The larger purpose of these comics is that they are creating a way for young children to become comic books fans themselves.

Price pointed to the overly mature themes in current Batman comics as one of the reasons younger children are alienated from comics and the source material for many of their favorite toys and superheros.

“It used to be that you could to the book store, thrift store or whatever and get Batman. You don’t dare give Batman to a kid nowadays,” Price said. “I mean there are too many ages in here for me to describe what’s going on now in Batman and that’s a horrible thing. Think about this, Batman. You can go to Toys “R” Us and get your Batman toys but you don’t dare read the source material? So it’s a big deal for us that we can have something that expresses everything that we love about comics and anybody can buy them.”